The Copy Corner

Do you ever find yourself in a bind where you're struggling to find quality clients?

They're always saying "You're too expensive (you're really not)" or their budget isn't high enough. And they always have ridiculous timeframes in mind.

If you're at a point where you don't know what to do, we're going to help you navigate these tough conversations.

We cover everything from:

• Client who don't pay on time (or at all)
• How to fire a client
• Dealing with scope creep
• Setting communication boundaries
• Talking about budget and timeframes

You'll walk away from this episode with clarity and confidence in dealing with difficult clients.

We are big believers in investing in your business, but also know it's important to save where you can, especially with tech. 

This episode of The Copy Corner features listing the free tech tools we use to run our business every day. From helping stay focused to sending invoices and creating studio-sound audio, these tools are crucial and love that we don't have to pay for them.

How many of these tools do you use every day? 

Enjoy.

Seriously, what's a doable strategy to get your content to rank higher?

How long does it typically take? How do you know what to write about? How do you make it different?

On this episode of The Copy Corner we talk to friend and fellow writer, Jacob McMillen to get these answers and help us all write better content. Jacob is a sought-after content writer and strategist along with being a trusted voice in the copywriting community (If you look up "how to become a copywriter?" on Google you'll find Jacob's stuff right there).

Enjoy this candid conversation where we learn do's and don'ts of content creation, pricing content writing services, and becoming a better writer.

Do you ever get nervous about getting on a sales call with a potential freelance client?

- What should I ask?

- Should I bring up budget?

- How do I effectively bring up budget and not scare them away?

- How do I prove my skill set so I get the project?

This episode has you covered. We take a quick yet valuable deep dive into 4 tips to have a successful meeting with your prospect. 

Oh, and you'll sound and feel like a seasoned freelancer after every call (regardless if you get a yes or a no). 

Enjoy.

This is what you can do to help make more money as a writer and confidently sell your services.

If you struggle with how and what to pitch clients so they pay your rates, this episode of The Copy Corner shares 3 upsells you can add to your services so you can get high-paying and long-term contracts.

Enjoy.

On this episode The Copy Corner, Dan and Terry answer the question many freelancers ask themselves when they feel they hit a plateau...What's ONE thing that can help scale my freelance writing business?  

They both describe one significant investment they made that helped them go from consistently looking for clients to consistently hitting revenue goals and attracting the right projects. Plus, they went live on LinkedIn for this episode and received a handful of questions from viewers about how to avoid procrastination, how to provide value in your content, and researching content ideas.

Whether you're in week 2 or year 2 as a freelancer, this advice should resonate and may be what you need to hear to help you make your next moves.

If you like what you hear, the best way to support the show is to rate and review on Apple and Spotify. Don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode. 

Terry and Dan answer the TOP questions they get asked about finding paid writing jobs and growing a successful freelance career (wow, what a hook). 

To help answer these questions, they welcome Erin Balsa, Marketing Director at the Predictive Index to the show. Together, they tackle topics like the #1 thing clients look for when hiring writers, the best advice for sending cold emails and DMs to prospects, how to improve your chances to get contract work and stand out from other freelancers, pricing your writing services without second-guessing yourself, and how to get hired as a freelancer when you don't have a big portfolio. This is fun and insightful conversation for anyone looking to build a freelance writing career. Enjoy!

Do you put in a lot of blood, sweat, beer and coffee into your content but still not getting the leads or engagement you hoped for?  

Whether you're a B2B or B2C brand, or a solopreneur with a blog, this episode is going to share things to avoid when creating and posting content.   

Plus best practices for research, headlines, link-building, and pleasing Google's algorithm to rank higher.   

Oh, and you're going to learn from one of the best and brightest in the content biz—Mr. Brooklin Nash, Head of Content at Sales Hacker.   

Enjoy!

Investing in a business coach/mentor can help you in many different ways. Two heads are better than one. 

On this weeks episode, Dan and Terry talk about how to successfully network and build a relationship with people.

In this episode, Dan and Terry discuss their favorite software and chrome extensions that they use as writers. 

➡️ How to turn your idea into a business (and launch it!) ⬅️

➡️ The idea: A service booking non-fiction authors as guests on podcasts to promote their books and market to wider audiences

➡️ The history: We started helping clients interviewed on podcasts about 1 ½ years ago and had great traction in this niche with clients

➡️  Actions to get an idea like this off the ground:

1. Figure out what your acquisition channel will be to help validate the idea. 

2. Think about what you need to put together to help future clients make the decision? This could be a pitch deck or portfolio.

3. Refine your angle/marketing based on feedback you receive.

4. Determine your goals for the business. Start small, and build it over time. Ditch ideas that don’t meet your goals.

What lines of business or ideas would you like to launch? We’d love to hear!

Dan and Terry talk about how to write the best CTAs. You don't want to miss the examples and the formula they give you!

In today's episode of The Copy Corner, Dan and Terry talk about website copy and how to not sound like everyone else in your industry. 

In today's episode of The Copy Corner, Dan & Terry talk about a few more copy crimes to never commit on your home page and landing pages.

We kick off with a note from a book called “How to Write a Lot” by Dr. Paul J. Silva, which asserts that many psychologists believe writer’s block isn’t a matter of lack of inspiration, but a lack of discipline (All about hot takes here🔥).

Like all our freelancer and business owner followers, we’ve both experienced "writer’s block" from time to time.

Here are some ways to smash through it and get back to creating your best work:

1. Mix up your working environment. Write from a different part of your home or a coffee shop.
2. Carve out dedicated time each day to write. What time of day is up to you when you write best. Keep it consistent.
3. Dan says Caffeine! Get that comfort and energy before writing with a cup of coffee or tea in preparation.
4. Get personal. Infuse the personal with professional—starting a piece around something you're reading or watching, or share a personal story.
5. Move! If you’re staring at a blank page, go for a walk or hit the gym to get ideas flowing.

What tips do you have to break through your own writer’s block?

When is the last time you updated your best-performing piece of content?

On this episode of The Copy Corner, we share our best tips to help you refresh your content so you can drive new traffic and potential customers to your brand.

Learn our favorite techniques and tools to help so you save time and keep the content and traffic flowing!

Enjoy.

Ever stress about what to charge for your writing or freelance services?

How much to charge for your services is one of the most challenging things service providers do.

If you're not a little nervous or uncomfortable sending a proposal, you're most likely undercharging. And don't worry if you're not at making $50-100/hour yet—it takes time but you can get there.

We often get caught up wanting to accurately charge our services, but the key is to CONFIDENTLY charge your services.

If you struggle with what to charge as a service provider and freelancer, here's some helpful advice and a quick formula from the latest episode of The Copy Corner.

Be sure to listen to the full episode as we lay down honest advice and stories of what you need to know to confidently charge.

Do you like soft pretzels?
Do you want to learn tips on how to get started with keyword research for free?

Then you'll enjoy this new episode of The Copy Corner.

Dan and Terry go through the basics of getting started with keyword research for your content and use "soft pretzels" as an example to make it less intimidating.

We cover:
1. Two things you need to know and have before searching
2. The best free tools to use
3. The differences between seed keywords and long-tail keyword phrases
4. How to find keywords with low search volume to rank higher
5. The big mistake to avoid when trying to rank on page 1
6. And what you can learn from a free Google Search of "How to make soft pretzels?"

We covered a lot in less than 12 minutes, so be sure to listen to the full episode, share, and subscribe! 

This episode is going to give you actionable steps to define your ideal customer and how to start selling to them.

How to create an ideal customer avatar?

You hear a lot to start by writing down their gender, interests, age, values, etc. These are important, but what do you do with that information?

We're going to share 3 simple steps to get a clear picture of who your ideal customer is, how to know what they need from you, and how to write copy that converts them into customers.

If you're hiring a freelance writer, the dream is for them to be easy to work with and deliver quality work where you consider it a 'success.'

Here's the thing: Much of the success of your partnership comes from successfully managing freelancers and showing your appreciation. Yes, it's a two-way street but don't forget that freelancers are business owners and humans too.

On this episode, we're sharing tips on ways clients can show appreciation and manage freelance writers, so your project is set up for complete success from start to finish.

As a freelancer, have you ever been drowning in work and need to hire contractors for help?  Having a lot of work on your plate is better than no work, but there are times where it gets overwhelming and you don't have the time to meet deadlines. When this happens, you have options.  You can hire outside contractors to help, but how?  How do you find reliable freelancers? How do you let your clients know you're outsourcing? What if clients have pushback of you hire others?  We'll share our best tips (from experience) on how to find reliable contractors and effectively onboarding them with your current workload.  

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. 

Do you ever have your best month of hitting your revenue goals and getting great clients, only to follow it with the worst month you had?  

You are hitting the feast or famine cycle. It happens to many freelancers in their first few years of business.   

On this episode of The Copy Corner, Terry & Dan talk about: 

1. What does the feast or famine cycle look like? 

2. How long does it last? 

3. Their #1 tip to help you get out of the feast or famine cycle for good.  

Enjoy.

"But what will I create? It's all been said before!"

Keep creating. Have an original take on the topic. And keep this in mind...

There will be at least one person who only sees your content. They will think of you as the expert. That's all it takes to build word of mouth.

There are plenty of people talking about what you know and sharing advice. That's okay. Push imposter syndrome away and create cool stuff that helps people. There's always space for a new voice.

And in case you struggle with what type of content to create for your audience, Terry and Dan cover this on the latest Copy Corner episode.

Learn what to do before you create, what channels to post on, and how to get a consistent flow of new ideas—all in less than 7 minutes!

Blogs vs. Articles: What's the difference?

We break them down on the latest episode of The Copy Corner.

If you ever thought "should I say I write blogs or articles?" we got you covered on this one.

Does writing a compelling article take longer than you'd like?

I get it. My content writing used to be all over the place. Some days I was in the zone. Some days I spent 45 minutes thinking of a headline when I could have been outlining or researching.

If you're looking to become more efficient with your content writing, the latest Copy Corner episode offers some help — in less than 9 minutes!

Dan and Terry share what you should do before you start writing along with a helpful writing formula and the 4U's!

Get ready to write effective long-form content in less time!

Interested in learning how make money online as a freelance copywriter or content writer?

This episode of The Copy Corner is going to share actionable tips to help you get started to landing your first or more writing clients.

The last week of the year is here and that means it's time for the last Copy Corner episode of 2020.

Although this year was a rollercoaster, Dan and Terry enjoyed getting together every week to share copywriting, freelancing, and digital marketing tips with all of you.

In today's episode, we talk about a few of our favorite tools and resources of 2020 that helped us grow our businesses. We encourage you all to check them out in 2021 and see what you think.

We also share our goals for next year and give advice for new copywriters just starting on their journey.

One way to get better at copywriting is to learn about copywriting.

Luckily there are countless books and newsletters to help you with this. This episode, Terry & Dan share the books and newsletters you should be reading to become a better copywriter in 2021 and beyond.

"Begin with the end in mind." (👀 🎥 ⬇️)




This can be said for a lot of things. It's like being asked as a kid, "what do you want to be when you grow up?"

You have a dream or goal and then you think of what you can do today and tomorrow to get to where you want to be.

If you know what success looks like for you, it's easier to make a treasure map to find it.

And you may have guessed where this is going — the same can be said about writing sales copy.

Think about the end goal...or even better, "what's in it for the reader?"

And what does success for your copy look like?

We often talk about ways to grab attention with your copy, but that's half the battle.

Take a listen to learn 4 actionable tips to close your copy like a pro.

How to write interesting headlines in less than six minutes.

That's the pitch for today's episode of The Copy Corner.

Dan & Terry break down the four essentials to help you get started writing headlines that aren't gross.

How to write better social media copy (oh hello!) is a top-of-mind topic for me, always. It’s also our topic for #TheCopyCorner today.

Social media is a free marketing channel, so it’d be silly not to use it as a branding opportunity. Like any other piece of marketing collateral, its one goal is to get the audience to take action.

This episode delivers practical advice about how to write clear and concise copy (as it's the literal title of the episode).

Spoiler: Building the habits of being less wordy and writing clear copy happens in the editing process.

If you're someone who writes a draft and gets a little embarrassed for all the redundancies, long sentences, and inflated phrases, check out these helpful tips.

Is your biggest challenge with writing copy getting started?

There have been plenty of times where I start writing a new homepage or email for a client and think, "how am I going to start this?"

Do I start by pointing out a problem? Do I go right in for the offer?

These are common copy problems. But one framework to kickstart your copy is knowing your prospect's awareness level.

On today's The Copy Corner, Dan & Terry break down Eugene Schwartz's five stages of awareness and what type of copy to write for each one.

Give it a listen and perhaps this could be your go-to approach to start writing great sales copy.

Donald Miller, the brains behind StoryBrand, built a whole framework around a way to tell stories for brands effectively. He wrote a whole book about it, and now hosts a slew of courses, a podcast, and speaks about it. It’s a popular approach in digital marketing.

Its main mission is to craft compelling messages and ideas for your brand through the use of storytelling. A big tenet of StoryBrand is to focus on the customer and make them the hero of the story. That customer-centric focus should be evident and inclusive for the reader from the very first word.

Never make it about you. It’s not about you.

Cast the audience as a character, and flesh them out. You should be able to boil down what the customer wants down all the way to just one, single desire. One big idea can translate to → “how exactly does your service or product transform your audience?”

Our verdict: honestly, StoryBrand is effective! We advocate using this approach! What more do you think you can do in your marketing to center the message around the audience?

Let's talk length of copy.

This is something that gets searched on and asked about a lot.

Which is better for conversions: Short or long copy?

In today's Copy Corner episode, Dan and Terry discuss..

👉🏼 The one thing you need to know before you worry about the length of copy
👉🏼 Two case studies to prove which converts betters
👉🏼 When short copy is the right choice
👉🏼 The goal of your copy regardless of the length

Enjoy!

The goal of your copy should always be: get the reader hooked with the headline, keep their attention, and drive them to take action.

But sometimes, that's easier said than done. If you ever get stuck writing copy, try going back to the basics.

In today's episode of #TheCopyCorner, that's exactly what we do.

We talk about four persuasive copy tips that are based on psychology. They're easy to use and implement in your copy right away.

What is your favorite tip to make your copy more persuasive? Did we mention it in our list? 

The impact of the Coronavirus is felt all around the world. For freelancers, it's a very interesting time. Some are flourishing as more companies hire independent contractors and many have lost clients due to uncertainty.

In today's episode of #TheCopyCorner, Terry and Dan share how Coronavirus has impacted their business and how they've been able to maintain their relationships during this challenging time.

If you're still struggling with how to navigate client relationships right now, we're going to do our best to give some added guidance and reassurance that you're not alone.

Write the article, hit publish, and wait.

Hmm, not a lot of traffic. Okay, repeat the process.

Still not a lot of traffic. Is it a sign to stop?

Nope, content marketing is a long game.

If traffic is slow at first, it's okay. Take it as a sign to innovate and keep creating.

If you need some content inspiration to drive traffic to your website, we give you three tips that can fill your content calendar and help get results worth posting about.

𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙮.

Today's topic comes from a listener's question. Like many content writers and business owners, he wanted to understand the process of creating an actionable strategy at the granular level.

For writers, being able to communicate a clear content strategy helps you charge a premium price tag for your services.

As a business owner, having a strategy helps you know what type of content you need to attract people to your offer and turn them into customers.

In less than 10 minutes, we share the foundation of a successful content strategy so you can get started today.